Voltage-balance regulator



Dec. 25, 1928. 1,696,415

L. C. ROBERTS yomma aguncn REGULATOR Filed Aug. 9, 1927 First set gimbals 0000 ml gfblays .5}, S 5 6' and? befw-ereah Mm kbw each flehys), 5 5 andh-bwer contacts must make yin? 0 contacts beak INVENTOR. LC. Roberts f ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 25,

UNITEDSTATES LELAND 0.

PATENT OFFICE.

nonnnrs, or rowacanaw mnsnr, Assmnon T0 Aunarcnn 'rnrsrnoma am) Tammi: comm, A conrons'rron or NEW YORK.

VOLTAGE-BALANCE summon.

Application filed August 9, 1927. serial No. 211,830.

This invention relates to voltage balance regulators, and more particularly to automatic means for regulating approximately to a balance the voltages of two sources subject to unequal average working drains.

It is the object of the invention to provide a suitable circuit arrangement for maintain ing approximately equal the voltages of, for instance, batteries used with apparatus such ances of the voltages of the two batteries. It

will be understood, of course, that if conditions should change so as to place the smaller average working drain on battery 13,,

load on battery B A polar relay S as one 10 as metallic telegraph re aters involving the i operating windings connected in erie In the case of telegraph repeaters of theabove named class, it is important that the battery voltages be balanced or approximately balanced, since any unbalance of the volt ages produces bias in the signals. According to present maintenance methods, the voltages of such batteries are adjusted by hand, an alarm calling an attendant when the unbalance exceeds a definite amount, for instance, 5%. i

The applicants automatic regulator will reduce the voltage unbalance to a greater degree than is practicable with the manual method of adjustment, and'will render it unnecessary for an attendant to make any but infrequent manual adjustments.

The invention consists in general of an auxiliary drain path across thebattery-subject to the smaller average workingdrain, means responsive to unbalances of the voltages for changing the load on that battery through the auxiliary ath in a direction to,

restore the balance, an means for giving an alarm to summon the attendant if the changes of the auxiliary load have failed to restore the balance.

The invention will be more clearly understood when the following detailed description of the re ulator circuits'and their op eration is read with reference to the accompanyin drawing, which shows in diagrammatic orm. one desirable circuit arrange- ,ment. 1 k a The two batteries the voltages of which are to be balanced or approximately balanced are shown in the drawing as B and B Of these batteries, B has the smaller normal working drain. Across this battery there is in this auxiliary path in response to unba 3 R the v0 tage such that normally its armature touches neither the left-hand contact nor the righthand contact. The windings are so poled that when the battery voltages are equal, there will be no operating force on the armature, but an unbalance of the voltages will cause the relay to throw the armature in a. direction depending on which battery voltage is the greater. I

A chain of relays S S s -and S is associated with, and the relays control short circuits around, the resistances R R R and R respectively. Of these relays, S and S are shown in operated condition, while relays S and S, are shown unoperated. All four relays are both slow-operating and slow-releasing. Control relays S and S are de signed to respond to the operation of the polar relay S, one for each direction of operation, and to control the operations of the four relays discussed above.

Let it be assumed that the polar relay S has its winding so poled and its armature so adjusted that 'whenthe voltage of battery B exceeds that of battery B,,the armature will 1 I through batteryan-d the winding of relay S to ground over the lower contact of a relay S to be considered more fully hereinafter,

and relay S operates, it being a condition of this operation, of course,that relay S be unoperated. With the relays of the chain indicated above in the condition shown in the drawing, this operation of relay S will close a circuit from battery through contacts ofrelays S S and 8,, through t e winding of relay S, to ground over theupper contact of relay S. Relay S, will operate and will lock up, the circuit being from battery through its lowest contact to ground over the contact of relay S. The operation of relay S, will place a short circuit around the lixed siance R, of the auxiliary drain path, increasing the drain through this path on battery B,. This increase of drain will,

course, tend to restore the balance oi" the ltages of batteries 13, and 15,. If this adjustment is not sullicient to restore the two Voltages to approximate balance, or if a fun ther imbalance the same direction occurs, relay will operate again after a time interral, fully discussed hereinafter, has elapsed. Since relay 6, has been operated and ice :ed up, a path prepared through the winding of relay S and this second operation of relay S will cause the operation of relay S, to place a snort circuit around the resistance 11,, further increasing the auxiliary load on battery 13,.

It further corr required, and relay operates a third a circuitwhich was prepared by the operati n of relay S, will be completed through battery and a bell 1 The ringing of iris hell sunrnions the attendant.

Since a cons 'erable period of time s between the changing ol the load on a barre r and the effect of that nge the yoltu the battery, ineans must be provided in nection with the regulatingcircuits to cacao a substantial delay between an lion ol' relay S or relay S (to be more .t'uiy d'scusscd hereinafter) and a subsequent peration oi either one of these two relays. A I- able means for furnishing this elay is the chain of relays shown at the right oil the drawing and comprising relays 55,. S 5,, and S connected as shown. This delay circuit operates as follows, it being under all the relays of the chain are unoperated condition: lVhcn either relay or relay S operates, a circuit is closed from battery and ground through the wir of relay S to ground over the closed to" a oi relay S The completion of this circuit causes the operation of relay S and ground is removed by the lower armature from the path through one contact of polar relay S and the winding of relay S or relay in thc former in the detailed operation discussed above). Considering in particular, -for the present, only the operation resulting from an excess of voltage in battery 13,, the operation of relay S releases rela S. The eratin r time of relay S and the time required for the release of relay S mustbe at least great as the operatin time of relays S,S,, or the time required for the release of those relays. In addition, the operation of relay completes a locking circuit through the winding of relay S ground. being reached over the contact oi relay S and also completes a circuit through battery and the winding of relay S causing the operation of this rclay,whioh is a dash-pot relay having a very slow operating time, one to two minutes, for instance, but is quick releasing. The operation of the dash-pot relay S, car s the operation of relay 5,, which in turn lollcuved by the operation of a second dasirpot relay S,,. Relay S locks up through a circuit having a ground connection over the contact of relays Vhen relay S, operates, it causes the operation of relay S which operation in turn breaks the locking circuits though relays S and S releasing the entire chain of relays of the delay circuit. lVith re lays and b, dash-pot relays, it is readily understood that a delay of from two to four minutes is provided. Ofcourse,the extension of the chain and the insertion of additional d *-pot relays would provide for a still greater delay. Again, any other suitable dela y circuit, for instance, an arrangement in mixing av selecting switch to be stepped for ward av dci'inite number of times by consecutive operations of a dash-pot relay, may be employed to provide the necessary delay, without a departure from the scope of the applicants invention.

The operation of the circuits in response to an excess of V' ltage in battery 13,, it being assumed that the relays are again in the posi tions shown in the drawing, will be as follows The polar relay throws its armature to the left-hand contact, and the control relay S operates. This operation, as indicatedabove, sets in operation the relays of the delay circuit, which has been described in detail above and will not be further discussed at this point. The operation of relay S removes ground from the circuit including the winding of relay and relay S releases, breaking the short circuit around the resistance R T his, of course, puts this resistance ell'ectively in the auxiliary path across battery B decrc-a.-.- ing the drain on the battery over that path. Consequently, the voltage of the battery ri the t idcncy being toward a balance or the two battery voltages. If the voltage ofbal'tei y B, remains or again becomes greater than that of battery B relay S is a ain operated after the usual delay and car the rel war of relay S,. This release breaks the short rircult-around the resistance R,.places this ance ell'ectiyely in the auxiliary drain pull: and increase... the cileetire working roltage ot battery 13,. lVhen relay S, released, iteminected a circuit through the winding of relay S, to ground over the upper contact of relay S" (with relay S released). Accmdingdy. if relay S operates again as a result of a lurther or continued "oltage unbalance, relay H, is released, and battery is connected through the bell A causing an attendant to be suinnioned.

It has been stated above that relays t S S and b, are both slow operating and mam slow releasing. Tim reason for this is to prevent the operationoi more than one of these relays fora si operation of relay S. In addition, it she d be noted that relay S, is slow operating; Furthermore, as is indicated on the drawing, the contacts constood that the scope of the invention is not limited thereby, but is defined by the appended claims.

7 What is claimed is:

1. In associationwith two sources of electric, current subject to different average working drains, an automatic system for maintaining an approximate balance of the voltages of the two sources, said, system com risin means for placing an auxiliary load on e source subject to the smaller average working drain and means responsive to unbalanoes of the source yoltages for changing said auxiliary load to restore the balance of the voltages 2. In association with two sources of electric current subject to different average working drains, an automatic system for maintaining an approximate balance of the voltages of the two sources, said system com prising means for. placin an auxiliary load on the source subject to t e smaller average workin drain, means responsive to unbalances o the source voltages for changing said auxiliary load to restore the balance of the Voltages, and means for 'givin an alarm if such changes fail to restore said balance.

3. In association with two sources of electric current subject to different average working drains, an automatic system for maintaining an approximate balance of the voltages of the two sources, said system comprising means for placing an auxiliary load on the source subject to the smaller average working drain, means responsive to unbalanoes o the source voltages for changing said auxiliary load to restore the balance of the voltages, means for giving an alarm if such changes fail to restore said balance, and means for introducing a delay between any two successive operations of the load changing and alarm giving means.

4. In association with two sources of electric current subject to different average working drains, an automatic system for maintaining an approximate balance of the voltages of the two sources, said system comprising an auxiliary path across the source subject to the smaller average working drain,

means responsive to junbalances of the source voltages for changing the load on said source through said path to restore the balance of the voltages, and means for giving an alarm if such changes fail to restore said balance.

5. In association with two sources of electric current subject to different average worki drains an automatic s stem for maintaining an, approximate balance of the voltages of the two sources, said system comprising an auxiliary drain path cross the source subject to the smaller average workin drain, a plurality of means responsive to un alances of the two voltages for changing the resistance of the auxiliary path to restore the balance of the voltages, and means for givingan alarm if such changes fail to restore saidbalance. c c

6. In association with two sources of electrlc current sub ect to different average working drains, an automatic system for main-- t aining an approximate balance ofthe voltages of the two sources, said system comprising an auxiliary path across the source subject to the smaller average working drain, means responsive to unbalances of the source voltages for changing the'load on said source through said path to restore the balance of the voltages, means for giving an alarm if such changes fail to restore said balance, and means for introducing a delay between any two successive operations ofthe load changing and alarm giving means. 7

7 In association with two sources of electric current subject to different average working drains, an automatic systemfor maintaining an approximate balance. of the voltages of the two courses, said system comprising an auxiliary drain path across the source subject to the smaller average working drain, a plurality of means responsive to unbalances of the two voltages for, changing the resistance of the auxiliary path to restore the balance of'the voltages, means for giving an alarm if such changes fail to restore said balance, and means for introducing' a delay between any two successive operations of the resistance changing and alarm giving means. I

- 8. In association with two sources of electric current subject to different average two voltages, means for increasing, the resistance of said path in response to a deficiency the two voltages, and means for introducing a delay between two successive operations of any of said means.

9. In association with two sources of electric current subject to different average working drains, an automatic system for maintaining an approximate voltage balance of the two sources, said system comprising means associated with the source subject to the smaller average working drain and responsive to an excess of the voltage thereof for increasing the load on said source, means responsive to a continued excess of said voltage for further increasing said load, means responsive to a further continued similar excess for giving an.alarm, means associated with said source and responsive to a deficiency oi the voltage thereof for decreasing the load on said source, means responsive to a continued deficiency of said voltage for further decreasing said load, means responsive to a further continued similar deficiency for giving an alarm, and means for introducing a time interval between changes of said load and between a change of said load and the giving of an alarm.

10. In association with two sources of electric current subject to different average workin drains, an automatic system for maintaining an approximate voltage balance of the two sources, said system comprising a variable resistance shunt across the source subject to the smaller average working drain, means responsive to an excess of the voltage of said source for decreasing the resistance thereacross, a second means responsive to a continued similar excess of voltage for further decreasing said resistance, means responsive to a further continuation of a similar excess of voltage for giving an alarm, means responsive to a deficiency of said voltage for increasing the resistance across said source,

a second means responsive to a continued similar deficiency of voltage for further increasing said resistance, means responsive to a turther continuation of a similar deficiency ot voltage for giving an alarm, and means for separating by a time interval any two successive operations of the resistance decreasing and increasing and the alarm producing leans.

11. In association with two sources of electric current subject to diti'erent average working drains, an automatic system for maintaining an approximate voltage balance of the two sources, said system comprising a variable resistance shunt across the source subject to the smaller average working drain, a plurality of means for increasing each by a given amount the resistance of said shunt, a plurality of means for decreasing said resistance, each by a given amount, an alarm annunciator associated with the resistance increasing means, an alarm annunciator associated with the resistance decreasing means, a first controlling relay for actuating the resistance increasing means and the annunciator associated therewith in succession, one for each operation of said relay, a second controlling relay for actuating the resistance decreasing means and the annunciator associated therewith in succession, one for each operation of said relay, means responsive to a deficiency of the voltage of the source subject to the small er average working drain for actuating said first controlling relay, means responsive to an excess of said voltage for actuating said second controlling relay, and means for introducing a time interval between successive operations of said controlling relays.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 8th day of August, 1927.

LELAND C. ROBERTS. 

